"When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid." - Audre Lorde

On September 2017, President Donald Trump ordered an end to the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program – an executive order that has provided work permits and deferred deportation for young undocumented immigrants since 2012. He created a March 5, 2018 deadline for Congress to pass a substitution before he begins phasing out the protection for DACA recipients.

This executive decision has placed at least 700,000 DACA recipients and their communities in a state of uncertainty, chaos and instability. The struggle for first-class citizen treatment has been a historic ongoing battle for undocumented youth and their families.

Grossmont College houses hundreds of undocumented students who are here to pursue their educational goals. However, in light of the current political climate, many students are facing concerns with being deported, losing their work permits, stable housing, family separations, $495 DACA renewal fees, along with various other factors that are simply out of their control. It is crucial now more than ever to provide a safe haven for these students who are part of our community.

We believe that creating a safe and empowering campus community for all students, including those who are undocumented, is vital in promoting student success and ultimately a compassionate and thriving society.

We are inviting the campus as a whole – students, staff, faculty and administration – to participate in a T-shirt Solidarity Day on March 5th, 2018 (Monday). This day will be a chance to show our support to our Grossmont undocumented students by wearing our T-shirts around campus. This day of solidarity can highlight the importance of our support and unified vision to cherish our undocumented/Dreamers/DACAmented students.

This event is an opportunity for all of Grossmont College to show their support and love for our Dreamers in our community. This upcoming deadline could mean great joy for us or heartbreak. We invite you stand united and openly embrace the hundreds of students who are part of our campus community.

I stand with Dreamers @ Grossmont t-shirts are available at https://teespring.com/grossmontdream and nearly $8.00 of each t-shirt goes to the Dream Center Student Scholarship Foundation account. There are 13 different t-shirt colors to choose from.